“DD: I suppose the one thing I ought to say about this play in particular is that it’s an attempt to explore the modern meaning of life’s end. When does life end? When should it end? How should it end? What is the value of life and how do we measure it? The play isn’t meant to answer these questions, but simply to fl oat in the space between them. And I could never have said any of this while working on the play or even shortly afterward. But over time, certain things become a little clearer.

ML: You know I was suddenly just thinking a lot about the play. It’s interesting because there’s a remove on the surface of the play, but I find myself strangely moved by it precisely because of what you’re saying now—this awful responsibility that we now have and the great wisdom it’s going to ask of us to make decisions about when life ends.

DD: We have to make decisions that people didn’t have to make unless they were doctors.

ML: It’s awesome.

DD: It is. This is what you will convey when you walk out on the stage that first night—the awesomeness of it.